Steam condenser



Jan. 3, 1928. 1,655,112 v N. E. TAYLOR STEAM CONDENSER Filed May 19, 1927 INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 3, 1928. V UNITED STATES NEWELL E. TAYLOR, OF PLAINFIELD,

COMEANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW

NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO INGERSOLL-RAND JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

STEAM CONDENSER.

Application filed May 19, 1927. Serial No. 192,642.

This invention relates to steam condensers, and moreparticularly to steam condensers of the surface type.

It is an object of this invention to enable the steam to be distributed to the cooling sur face of the condenser in quantities proportional to the relative steam condensing capacity of such surfaces in order to cause the steam to penetrate to all portions and to an equal depth throughout the length of the condenser.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawings forming part of the specification and in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line l1 ofFigure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the internal construction of a condenser constructed in accordance with the practice of the invention,

Figure 2 is a cross section through the condenser taken along the line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 3 is a cross section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the condenser illustrated comprises a casing A having a steam inlet B and an outlet C for air and non-condensable gases. The outlet C in this instance is also adapted to conduct condensate from the interior of the casing and is adapted to be connected to suitable evacuating apparatus (not shown). At opposite ends of the casing A there are provided an inlet water box D and an outlet water box E for the supply of cooling water to be passed through the condenser to condense the steam. To this end there are provided water tubes arranged in alternate layers E and F which extend from the water inlet box D tothe outlet water box E, being fixed at their ends in suitable tube sheets G.

As is well known in condensers of the tubular type, the steam condensing capacity of the tubes varies throughout their length since heat is absorbed by the water passing through the tubes to raise the temperature from a minimum at the water inlet to a maximum at the water outlet end. This results in an unequal steam condensing capaclty throughout the length of'the tubes since the heat absorbing capacity depends upon the difference in temperature between the cooling water and the steam to be condensed. The tendency therefore is to condense steam in the cooler sections of the condenser at less depth'than in the warmer sections of the condenser, leaving a portion of the tubes near the cooler end unused for condensing steam.

The tubes are arranged by this invention to cause the steam to penetrate as deeply in the cooler sections of the condenser as atthe warmer sections. To this end the alternate layers F .of'the tubes lie in planes which intersect the planes of the layers of tubes E near the outlet water box E. Thus near the outlet water box E the tubes lie with respect to one another as shown in Figure 2, while at the warmer ends the ends of the tubes lie as shown in Figure 3 which is the spacing usual in tubular condensers.

As shown in Figure 2 the space between the tubes E and F in their respective layers is much less than the corresponding space when the tubes are staggered as in Figure 3 and as a result a choking effect is found at the warmer end of the condenser causing more steam to flow toward the cooler end of the condenser than toward the warmer end. The tubes in the layers E and F are straight and the choking is therefore gradual from the ends of the tubes at the water inlet box D, increasing uniformly or substantially so to a maximum at the ends of the tubes adjacent the water outlet box E.

A suitable vacuum is arranged to be drawn at the air outlet C to draw steam at the cooler ends of the tubes adjacent the water inlet box D down to the last row of tubes so as to utilize all the available cooling surface at that end.

Due to the increasing choking or resistance to the flow of steam in the direction of the warm end adjacent the water outlet box E, the flow of steam is choked sufficiently to prevent substantial penetration beyond the last layer of tubes A great advantage resulting from this construction is that since steam is present around substantially all of the condensing surface of the tubes, there is substantially no refrigeration of the condensate below the temperature of the steam. This in itself is a great advantage as well as the reduction in tube surfaces necessary for condensing a given quantity of steam with cooling water at any given temperature.

Thus by the above construction are accomplished among others the objects hereinbefore referred to.

I claim:

1. A surface condenser comprising a casing having a steam inlet and an outlet for air and non-condensable gases, and a plurality of cooling tubes arranged transversely to the direction of steam flow in the casing, said tubes being arranged in alternate parallel layers and straight throughout their length, the tubes of'alterna'te layers being at one end in the-plane of the other layers of tubes and at the other end mid-way between said other layers.

2. A surface condenser comprising a casing having a steam inlet and an outlet for air and non-condensable gases, a water inlet box at one end of said casing and a water outlet box at the other end of said casing, and cooling tubes arranged transversely to at an angle to each other and intersecting near the end adjacent the water outlet box.

3. A surface condenser comprising a casing having a steam inlet and anoutlet for air and non-condensable gases, an inlet water box and an outlet water box at 0pposite ends of said casing, and water conducting tubes substantially straight throughout their length and arranged in alternate parallel layers, certain of such layers being arranged in planes intersecting near the outlet water box to choke the flow of steam around said tubes increasingly along the length of the tubes in the-direction of the water outlet box.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

N EWELL E. TAYLOR. 

